Day 115: Whew! A Nephew

You’re probably wondering what I’ve been up to in the three weeks I’ve been gone. The hands-down most important event was the birth of my new nephew, Quinn William Sears. He was born Oct. 3 to my sister Susan, a few weeks early. Both he and his mom are healthy.

Susan is my only sibling and Quinn is her only child, meaning that Quinn has now unseated me as the baby of the family (at last!).

I am at that age where infants are appearing everywhere. I don’t especially love them. But this little guy wrapped a little pinkie around my heart from the moment I laid eyes on him. I have always wondered how it is that close relatives can stare at a newborn’s face for hours. Now I get it. I look in those little eyes and can almost see the neurons connecting. Did he just look me in the eye? Is he smiling?

Quinn is only a few weeks old and so he probably can’t even see me, and the smile was probably because he had a friendly exchange with his diaper. But just between you and me, the kid looked at me and smiled.